Jess Mouland

1) I am here because: I love this studio and the community it has created. 2) 6 things I can't live without: Music, hot tea, daily phone calls to my mom, warm socks, the feeling of being loved and sunshine...or at least an ocean view 3) Top 3 goals are: To have children, use my passport at least once every year, and remain active with age (aka 80 years old and still headstanding) 4) Ask me about: My career choice! 5) I'm really good at.. Baking cupcakes 6) Favorite book, movie, food: A Million Little Pieces, Ever After, Mac-n-cheese 7) My best trait is.. I am always smiling and laughing! Describe you best experience in a yoga class: During the 30 day challenge last winter I let go of so much excess emotional baggage that I really didn't need. I remember during one of those classes, Steve said, "Yoga can be the beginning of a life long romance if you let it." SO true and so powerful in that moment. 9) Favorite animal? Zebras! Such true beauty. 10) What's the most important thing you've ever learned in a yoga class? To have a beginners mind and lessen my reactions, both on and off the mat. I've recently discovered, been inspired by, and totally crushing on fellow Canadian and yogi, Matt Mays. Here's my favourite by him!

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Katy Noftall

1) I am here because: it feels like home.
2) 6 Things I can’t live without: family/friends, dance, music, yoga, travel & love.
3) My top 3 goals in life are: to share my love of dance with others for as long as my body will allow me, to eventually graduate from MUN & to see and experience as much of this beautiful world as I possibly can! 
4) Ask me about: Germany
5) I’m really good at: Dance
6) My all-time favorite book, movie, food: Eat, Pray, Love Love Actually Chocolate

7) What is your most positive character trait? I like to think of myself as hard working, patient, friendly and compassionate. 

Describe your best experience in a yoga class: The very first Moksha music class was a seriously spiritual experience for me...so emotional, beautiful and life changing!

9) Favorite animal: Dolphins- they are such intelligent, playful and happy creatures.
10) What's the most important thing you've ever learned in a yoga class? To live in the moment. BE. HERE. NOW. has become an everyday mantra of mine.

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Nadia Shalaby

1. I am here because I want to be! I love it here, I love seeing everyone’s smiling faces and positive energy. And because I need to be. It’s nice to have a place to just be who you are, without any judgment
2. 6 things I cant live without: My cat(s), coffee, yoga, music, my family, and the sun!!
3. Ask me about.. Where I’m from! Even though I’m not completely sure..
4. Top three goals:
   Travel as much as possible
   Be completely myself (yoga has helped me learn how important this really is)
   Become an environmental engineer
5. I’m really good at: anything athletic, I’ve always loved sports. Lately I’m addicted to running and yoga of course! Yoga has defiantly made running 100X easier. I’m also good at making healthy food and inventing new recipes or making old recipes healthier!
6. Most positive characteristic traits: being understanding, commitment, caring, and determination. 
7. Best yoga class experience: there are so many!! One that sticks in my mind the most was a Karma class.. It was one my sister had come with me. I remember just looking around and seeing so many different people in this one room but we were all practicing yoga together. Every mat was completely different and each pose was completely unique to each person in the room. I realized that it doesn’t matter what the pose looks like or how strong or flexible you are, what matters is that you’re on your own path or mat and that you’re being yourself. I realized that being yourself in every pose is the best pose. Each yoga teacher has said this in class in a different way before, but really experiencing it and realizing it on my own made me truly believe it and see it for myself. It just made me really happy.
8. Favorite animal: I love animals, but if I were to pick one in particular it would be a horse. I used to ride horses and it made me feel so free and alive and really connected to nature.
9. Most important thing I learned in class: Be yourself! But when this seems really challenging, just breath!

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Kayla Bixby

1) I am here because: I want to be here! I tried Moksha Yoga when I lived in Halifax in 2008 and fell in love! I heard about Jill’s Moksha Inspired classes at Soothe when I attended the Japan Red Cross Yoga Fundraiser aaannnnnd the rest is history 

2) 6 things I can’t live without: Family. My cats, Jake and Sophie. Water. Good eats. Fresh, salty air. Pictures.

3) My top 3 goals in life are:
1. To be happy.
2. To be a wonderful mother.
3. To make a difference in someone’s life.

4) Ask me about: Anything at all!

5) I’m really good at: Smiling and being happy

6) Favorite:
Book: Children books [with my niece]
Movie: The classic, Dirty Dancing…and The Lion King
Food: Traditional Newfoundland foods! I LOVE food!

7) What is your most positive character trait? Hmm, I’m easy to get along with 

8) Describe your best experience in a yoga class: One Yin class with Steve - he ended class in savasana, asking us to close our eyes and visualize a projector paired with snapshots of our life, starting with the very first memory of our childhood, friends, family, loved ones. Then we moved forward to our first date, first love, first heartache, happy moments, sad moments and moments and memories that we probably didn’t want to revisit. Steve brought us on an incredible journey of our life in just a couple of minutes. It was emotionally touching and powerful to bring light to some areas of my life that I had buried or forgotten [both good and bad]. Steve definitely deserved a big ‘bay squeeze’ after that class.

9) What is your favorite animal and why? How many favorites can we have? haha. If I had to pick a top two it would be peacocks and elephants. [Male] peacocks are absolutely stunning, especially when they perform their mating dance and shake their tailfeathers! Elephants represent strength and power, stability and patience.

10) What is the most important thing you ever learned in a yoga class? To breathe. You get through the most challenging poses [and life situations off the mat] when you breathe. And a quote that stuck with me from a class at MYSJ is ‘regrets are just lessons you haven’t learned yet’. Don’t dwell on the past, focus on the present.

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Jaimie Hale

1) I am here because it’s nice to spend time being present without thinking about the past or future.

2) 6 Things I can’t live without are my cowboy boots, sunshine, the ocean, friends, kids and good food.

3) My top 3 goals in life are: My goals at the moment are to get better at Spanish, make a beautiful quilt and to appreciate the here and now more.

4) Ask me about books, French, teaching, travelling, jokes, recipes, anything really, I love to chat.

5) I’m really good at relating to kids. I spend my days surrounded by little ones and teenagers and they make me pretty happy.

6) My all-time favorite book is In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje. I love reading though so there are tons of books that I love. I don’t watch too many movies but one of my favorites is Café de Flore…. Oh and I love Matilda too. As for food, I love it! I love spicy, colorful dishes with lots of flavor.

7) What is your most positive character trait? I am really optimistic, I have a lot of faith that things will turn out.

8) Describe your best experience in a yoga class: I love feeling really strong in a pose, and I love when I manage to do it with a smirk.

9) In theory I love birds and fish because they are so speedy and free but in reality, my favorite animals are dogs. I can’t wait to have one again.

10) I think the idea that we need to concentrate on ourselves and not compare ourselves to other people is so important in yoga. We’re all there for different reasons and getting different things out of our practice, so we can only do what feels right for us.

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Darhen Sing

I am here because: I was looking for a change. I felt lost - adrift amid things that used to bring me comfort and it scared me. I was looking for something to ground me again.

Six things I can't live without:
- My friends and family; they are one and the same.
- The ocean. I can’t imagine living away from it.
- Music.
- A good pair of walking shoes.
- Tea.
- My Journal.

Top three goals:
- To pursue the things that make me happy.
- To learn how to be comfortable in my own skin.
- To teach something worthwhile, and to never stop learning.

Ask me about: Where my last name comes from.

I'm really good at: Being optimistic. I always look for the good in things, no matter how nasty they might be. You can call me naïve, but I believe that there is beauty in everything - we only have to be aware of our surroundings and open minded enough to see it.

Most positive character trait: Loyalty. Determination. Trustworthiness... Though these traits have gotten me into trouble in the past.

Best yoga class experience: Does my best studio experience count? During one of my very first trade shifts, Brianna Richardson and I were in the Dharma room, and she was trying to teach me how to do a headstand. I fell over and smacked into the wall, and I laughed so hard that I couldn’t breathe. It had been a long time since I had laughed like that, and it released a knot of tension in my chest that had been there for ages. It was at that point that I knew I had come to the right place. When I left the studio that afternoon I had a huge smile on my face. Upon releasing all that tension, I opened up a long forgotten space. It was incredible! I’d been starved for air for so long that I didn‘t even know I was suffocating. I’d forgotten what a deep breath felt like and the openness I experienced that afternoon redefined my definition of freedom.

Favorite animal: Big dogs such as German Shepherds, Labs, Retrievers, Newfs, etc. (Little dogs are cute… but they aren't as awesome as big ones). They are incredible creatures. What could be better than coming home to a wiggling, wagging, wonderful dog?

Most important thing learned in class: To listen to my body. To remember I’m only human - I make mistakes and I must learn from them. To breathe deeply and allow myself to let go. To acknowledge that it is in fact okay to let go.

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Meghan Clarke

1.) I am here because... Where is here? Just going on something steve said in bliss the other day 

2.) 6 Things I can't live without: 1. my cat, Roxy  2. my bed 3. my friends, my parents and brother 4. books 5. movies and of course 6. my yoga mat 

3.) My top 3 goals in life are: to become a yoga teacher, do a volunteer trip to a third world country, and visit india

4.) Ask me about anything! I am a very open person and love sharing 

5.) I'm really good at being silly 

6.) Favourite book is Matilda, has been ever since I read it when I was a kid. Favourite movie, god thats a hard one. Probably avatar. Such an unreal movie. And food is a toss up between pizza and ice cream! YUM!

7.) My most positive character trait is that i'm easy to get along with  Hard to find someone I can't have an easygoing conversation with.

8.) Best moment in a yoga class: Hands down, when I could close my eyes in tree pose and keep my breath and balance. Its something I had been working towards for a while and couldn't help but have the biggest grin for the rest of class 

9.) Favourite animal: CATS!! They are just the most loving, majestic and smart creatures. Something about their purr that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside haha

10.) The most important thing I have ever learned in yoga class is breathe. Its something I use every single day.

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Anja Sajovic-Žuži

I am here because, well because I needed to get my sweat on since St. John's can' t really offer me a tropical climate and because it's the place where I can relax and hang out with some pretty amazing people.

6 things I can't live without: Haha, wine, whiskey, rum and good food that would match those lovely addictions, preferably in a meat form (vegetarians please look away), music and traveling/camping.

My top 3 goals in life would be finding a job that would be flexible enough for me to travel around the world, building a winter residence someplace warm and to own a plane to make it easier to visit my friends and family.

Ask me about.. human fish b'y, about olive oil, wine and prosciutto from Slovenia, scandinavian interior design and movies or something else.

I am really good at: making cakes and impersonating russian accent.

Fave movie is probably The royal Tenenbaums or no, wait, Life aquatic or Moonrise kingdom, basically everything that Wes Anderson produced. Book could be On the road. When it comes to my favourite food I have say cinnamon rolls that my boyfriend was baking for me before we went on a gluten free diet. And what I've discovered just recently that every food prepared by a good chef can be my favourite food.

It may sound boring but my most positive character trait is empathy. It's not bad though because it helps me connect with different people.

Best experience I had at a yoga class was one day when I discovered that I can do most of the poses with closed eyes. That helped me connect with myself even though I was surrounded with hundreds of people that day.

Wolf is no doubt my favourite animal. Not only that this is one sexy beast but a wolf pack has the closest family organization to a human one. Pretty amazing!

What I have learned about yoga is that it's not about the postures and lululemon pants and nice yoga bums but about that perfect moment of relaxation and peacefulness that you can only get if you focus on breathing. So easy but yet so freaking hard!

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Jules Bailey

1) I am here because:
this is where i get grounded and find peace and strength.

2) 6 things I can't live without:
my kids, travel & adventure, sunshine, music, personal challenges, and knowledge

3) my top 3 goals in life are:
raising my children to have good heads on their shoulders and compassion. inner peace. changing lives.

4) ask me about:
anything - if i know something about it great, lets chat & if i don't great, teach me something new!

5) I'm really good at:
making something from nothing. I see potential everywhere & I love it.

6) Favorite book, movie, & food:
right now, Habibi by Craig Thompson, Les Mis, and fruit dipped in melted nutella! *drool*

7) most positive character trait:
i love. huge.

 best experience in a yoga class:
sinking all the way into my core & discovering pieces of myself I thought didn't exist

9) fav animal & why:
penguins - this is my romantic side *blush*, but really they mate for life & the daddys take care of the eggs, what's not to like?

10) most important thing learned in yoga class:
let go.

<3

Catherine Roberge

I am here because...
I so badly needed a place to slow down and breathe

6 things I can't live without?
good company, long walks home, a comfortable bed, parchment paper, an abundance of bobby pins & a good heart

My top 3 goals:
- in the words of the mouthbreathers, a cheesy punk band from sackville: I wanna squeeze every last drop of juice out of the fruit that is my youth/blow the tops off all the roofs because I can handle all my truths/I want to spend my days in perfect harmony with people to whom I can say I love you in casual conversation
- wander as much as possible without fear or doubt
- use my abilities to be in a constant state of creation whether it be concrete or abstract!

Ask me about?
making pie crust from scratch!!! and any other baking related question you might have, nightwalks, neighborhoods, punk shows, doing it yourself, pedestrian life, being an urban scavenger

I am good at?
feeding people, treasure hunting, book recommendations, getting people excited about stuff

Fave book:
everything is illuminated by jonathan safran foer...... and a few dozen others

Fave movie: anything wes anderson, harmonie korine or sofia coppola have made!

Fave food: wild strawberries, salmon, kale, the perfect over-easy eggs with lotsa hot sauce and every pie ever

A character trait: i am so much stronger than i knew! i'm good at making people chuckle & i will talk to anyone about anything with an open mind

Fave animal:
deers

Most important thing learned in a yoga class:
learning to breathe through everything and take the focus away from discomfort and place it on how rewarding every challenge you encounter is. there have been so many times outside the studio i have stopped and just remembered to breathe and i am never disappointed with the results.

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Meghan Hollett

1) I am here because: yoga is the best way I've found to destress. And because there's still so much to learn, I've only scratched the surface! So exciting.

2) 6 Things I can't live without: my friends, my cats, those few days of sun we get per year, fresh and tasty Newfoundland air, fruits and vegetables!

3) My top 3 goals in life are: to be happy, to be kind, and to tour with the band many, many times!

4) Ask me about.. Eastern Europe! I've been twice.

5) I'm really good at... Foreign languages! I took French, Spanish, and Russian in university and always found it incredibly easy to pick up a natural sounding accent. I also did a Master's degree in Linguistics, which complimented my efforts at the time.

6) Favourite book, movie, and food is...
Book = The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov
Movie = The Neverending Story
Food = Berries! I will eat all your berries!!!

7) What is your most positive character trait? I've always considered myself to be very good at putting myself in other people's shoes and understanding ways of thinking very different from my own.

 Describe your best experience in a yoga class: I love doing yoga to music. Not just any music, but specifically high energy dance tunes give me extra adrenaline and I find really enhance my concentration. Any class with upbeat is extra special for me!

9) What is your favourite animal and why? Well, I'm a notorious cat lady. Me and my housemates own 3. Cats are my favourite because I'm their favourite! I have a good way with them and they tend to like me and follow me around. Mutual cat love.

10) What is the most important thing you ever learned in a yoga class? To be confident and patient. Without believing in yourself and giving yourself time you can't grow or get better at really anything. Remembering that the floor is not that far away if you fall is a profound idea, in my opinion, and one that you can take literally or more generally. To be patient with myself and to allow myself time to learn gradually is something I've specifically learned from yoga and I'm very grateful for that insight.

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Ashley Babb

...and Ocean! 

:)

I am here because...
...of YOU!!!! You make me smile, you make me laugh,... sometimes you make me cry but it's always good tears. It feels just like "Cheers" but instead of beers we all have a nice cold mason jar full of water. So "chin chin" this one's for you 

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.
You wanna go where people know, people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.
(I loves yur faces!!!!)

6 things I can't live without?
1- The universe and everything in its majestic mysterious beauty
2- A place for meditation and practice
3- People and social times ( I love socializing 
4- Music of all kinds
5- My bun
6- Sandalwood (oil, perfume, beads) anything sandalwood I wants it!

My top 3 goals:
1- To love.
2- To travel the world while learning and sharing my practice.
3- To be the lead singer in a band
*Impossible goal: To find a time machine so I can travel back to the 80's and dance with Boy George in the "Do you really want to hurt me" video.

Ask me about?
My hidden talents

I am good at?
Being OCD, being silly,... interpretive dance...

Fave book:
Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties - Ajahn Brahm

Fave movie: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Fave food: Dark Chocolate

A character trait: Chameleon like, constantly changing.
Character trait I aspire to be: Genuine

Best experience in a yoga class:
Every time I cry in Savasana cause I feel it working it's magic and those moment where I feel so connected to my higher self.

Fave animal:
Ocean, she is soft and cuddly and teaches me sooo much ahaha!
Ok for realz  Birds! They go around flying in the sky!!!! WOW! That's crazyyy!

Most important thing learned in a yoga class:
Keep it light! Don't take yourself too seriously and have fun!

Xoxo

Mary Decker

1)I am here because: yoga provides me with the opportunity to bring my thoughts into the present. It allows me to listen to my body in a way I don't often find myself doing in everyday life. Being a part of this community and practicing yoga is a way to bring that peace into my life. 

2) 6 things I can't live without: ocean air, cast iron pans, foliage, woollen goods, kitchen table conversations, and self love.

3) My top three goals are: To live out my life on a beautiful farm, growing food and cultivating community, shearing sheep and spinning wool. To always remember that perspective shapes our experience, and that allowing positivity into your life will change everything. And to live as harmoniously as possible, with the earth, with other people, and with myself.

4)Ask me about: skateboarding, morel picking, hitchhiking across canada, seed saving, knitting.

5)I'm really good at: story telling, innovative cooking, and keeping myself happy. 

6)Favourite: 

Book: so many, but currently my number one is the Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz Movie:Everything is Illuminated 

Food: Blackberries from my Vancouver Island backyard and salmon- wild, caught by me, and raw. because I am a savage. 

7)My most positive character trait, or maybe just my favourite one is my self discipline. I have proven to myself repeatedly that I can get through anything and still stay shining, that I can accomplish what I set out to do, and that ultimately I am in control of my circumstances. 

 My best experience in a yoga class was when: I think there must have been some serious stress coursing through my body, because one class when we were coming into the resting pose after bridge pose, where you bring your knees together and put your hands on your stomach and heart, I had the most incredible release. I always find that pose to be profoundly humbling and calming and delicious. 

9) My favourite animal is: The albatross. They are majestic white sea birds with a vast wingspan and they never land. They just soar around over the ocean forever. 

10) The most important thing I have ever learned in yoga is to be present. It is so lovely to be able to occupy your body and live in this moment.

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Zabrina Youden

1) I am here because: 

I was searching for something more in life and I found it through this community and Yoga, it gets me out of my head. I can... view the world in a better way!

2) 6 things I can't live without:

Family, Friends, Music, Water, Fruit, and lip gloss!

3) My top 3 goals in life are:

To graduate from Memorial University with a degree in Primary/Elementary French immersion Education.

Be a wonderful mother

See as much of this world as I possibly can.

4) Ask me about:

Anything, anything at all!

5) I'm really good at:

Interacting with children.

6) Favourite:

Book: Honestly.. The Hunger Games series!
Movie: Sixteen Candles
Food: ALL fruit

7) What is your most positive character trait?

Energetic

 Describe your best experience in a yoga class: 

I was having a really long day feeling anxious and restless I attended Steve's 60 minute Moksha class that evening. He had music playing in this particular class, we were practicing Dancers pose(Natarajasana) and I just let everything go, everything I was holding onto the stress the worry the impatience and I just felt so alive so free. It was a beautiful moment happening right there on my mat I just let the heat and the beat groove me! Maybe no one else could see or feel it but somehow Steve did!!! He said right out to the entire class from the back of the room "Zabrina if you want to get out of that pose and just dance you can! I can see it in your face I know you want too!" I busted out laughing and at that moment I knew that yoga would be a part of my life for the rest of my life!!

9) What is your favorite animal and why:

I love all animals, but Siberian Huskys in particular. I have a female named Mia. I love her dearly and I know she feels the same being able to connect with an animal on that level is something quite special.

10) What is the most important thing you ever learned in a yoga class?

Just love yourself, accept yourself. This is the only body and mind you will ever have. Listen to it, treat it right!

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Chrissy Dee

1) My body, heart, and mind would have it no other way. After starting hot yoga while living in Halifax i knew i was hooked. Discovering that a Moksha studio had opened in St. John's made the transition of moving back home just that much easier. I'll never forget my first full day home- I knocked on the studio door and Steve answered, with the biggest brightest smile and outstretched arms. i knew immediately that this was something i wanted to be a part of.

2) Music, coffee, hugs (especially from babies), Nature's Aid skin gel, fresh air, and a good belly laugh.

3) To raise a family, to live near the ocean and mountains, to see as much of this planet as I possibly can.

4) The paintings on display at the studio right now!

5) Enjoying my days. I make sure to allow time to paint, head to yoga or go for a hike, sit for a coffee or pint with a friend, or take the time to make a delicious meal with the music blasting through the house. The little things that make life fun!

6)Book: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Movie:Almost Famous
Food:Avocado... and chocolate

7) People tell me that I have a very calming presence. I like problem solving and making others feel
comfortable. I am able to get over tough situations quickly and I'm pretty sure that I am physically unable to hold a grudge.

8) Every Bliss Flow class is always an amazing ride. My energy is sky high afterwards. I feel so alert and present.

9) The bear is my favourite animal. they are such mystical creatures. i ran into one while hiking alone once and it shook my soul...in a non-frightening amazing way!

10) Steve once said in class that nowhere has it ever been said or written that any part of yoga should be forced. These words continue to be so useful to me both in yoga and life practice!

<3